VW Beetle Cabriolet Exhaust

Buy your VW Beetle Convertible exhaust parts here

Whether you are looking for a stock replacement VW Beetle Cabriolet exhaust, a new pair of classic soft top Beetle tailpipes or a Karmann Cabriolet performance exhaust system, Heritage Parts Centre have what you are looking for.

Original style Cabriolet Beetle exhausts

Karmann Cabriolet Beetles came with different capacity engines over the years, so it is important to check the engine number of your classic Beetle Convertible against the table below before ordering. You also need to know whether you have a Beetle Cabriolet single port exhaust or twin port Beetle Cabrio exhaust, and know if it is fuel injected or has a catalytic converter. To tell the difference, look for a solid, one-piece manifold from the carburettor into the cylinder heads on a single-port engine, while a twin or ‘dual-port’ engine has a three-piece manifold with two rubber boots. On the chart below, SP denotes single port, DP is dual port.

*1974-on 1300cc Beetles with ‘AR’ engine codes have a twin hotspot inlet manifold, and can only use a stock-style exhaust.

IMPORTANT: Many Beetles have had their original engines changed, so using your car's production year or log book as a guide is not advisable.

Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet performance exhausts

At Heritage Parts Centre we have a huge range of classic Beetle Convertible exhausts and performance VW Beetle Cabrio silencers to choose from. Here’s some tips to help in making the right choice.

SSP Beetle Cabriolet exhaust systems are available to suit all years, and come in plain steel and as a stainless steel Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet exhaust as well. Consider ground clearance, noise rating, and the different coatings available when shopping, and whether you wish to have a heating system in your classic Convertible Beetle and what type of VW Beetle Cabrio header system you wish to use.

Performance Beetle Convertible exhausts are available as individual parts and ‘combo’ systems, comprising a header and silencer. Some manufacturers, such as EMPI and Kadron, require the use of matching headers and silencers.

VW Beetle Convertible headers

Fitting headers to your Cabriolet Beetle exhaust is a performance modification. These 4-into-1 tubular exhaust manifolds offer a small power increase over standard, while classic VW Beetle Convertible merged headers are primarily designed for racing purposes and high performance engines.

In general, performance VW Beetle Cabriolet headers will have pre-heat pipe connections for single carb inlet manifolds, while merged headers do not. Please note: on some header systems you may need to drill the pre-heat connections out yourself.

Beetle Convertible small flange headers have a triangular flange and 1 3/8 inch diameter pipework.

Cabriolet Beetle large flange headers use 1 ½-inch pipe and a flange with curved sides.

Merged headers use a small triangular flange either 1 ½-inch, 1 5/8-inch or 1 ¾-inch pipe and may cause clearance issues on stock, early Karmann Cabriolet bodywork.

Types of Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet silencers

Almost all aftermarket VW Cabriolet Beetle mufflers use a variation on one of the following two silencers.

Convertible Beetle glass pack silencers

Compact, high flow, but very noisy, comprising a perforated steel core wrapped in glass fibre in a narrow steel casing.

Beetle Cabrio Quiet pack silencers

Slightly larger, but quieter than glass packs with an oval-shaped silencer. Turbo / Mondo mufflers are essentially a large quiet pack.

Exhaust finishes

Classic Beetle Convertible exhausts come in either plain steel or as stainless steel Beetle Cabriolet exhausts, the latter offering significant longevity benefits over cheaper mild steel versions.

Please note: the paint on steel VW Beetle Convertible exhausts is just for protection in transit, it is not high temperature paint and will quickly burn off during use.

Ceramic coating is the best option for protecting your classic Cabriolet Beetle exhaust. It is fused onto the exhaust at very high temperature and resists both damage and corrosion.

Beetle Convertible heat exchangers and J-pipes

Stock Volkswagen Karmann Cabriolet heat exchangers sit along either side of the engine and transfer exhaust heat into the car through the heater channels. If your heating is not working, or is poor, first check you have Cabrio Beetle heat exchangers, and then ensure every part of the system is present and in good condition.

Beetle Cabriolet J Tubes replace the heat exchangers with a simple curved piece of exhaust tube. Using these means you will no longer have a heating system in your classic soft top Beetle.

You can enjoy all the benefits of a larger diameter Cabrio Beetle performance exhaust, and keep your heating system too by fitting big bore heat exchangers. Please ask our sales staff for advice on which bore size is appropriate for your engine.

Things to note:

All VW Beetle Cabriolet exhausts sold by Heritage Parts Centre come with fibre gaskets, but we recommend buying a pair of tailpipe fitting kits (111-298-051) to ensure you have all the exhaust hardware necessary to complete the job.

If you are just fitting an aftermarket Convertible Beetle exhaust, but retaining heat exchangers, please ask your sales person for advice on re-connecting the air pipes.